It snowed again.My seventh Christmas was round the corner.I dreamed of getting the present from Father Christmas until my elder sister dropped the bomb.“There is no Father Christmas.”

I ran to my grandmother’s house, for she always told the truth.Grandmother was at home. I told _1_everything.“No Father Christmas?”she was a little_2_.“Don’t belive it.Put on your coat,and let’s go.”

“Go?Where,Grandma?” I asked.

“Kerby’s Store.”

As we walked through its doors. Grandma handed me the dollars and said.“Take the _3_and buy something for someone who needs it.I’ll wait for you in the car.”Then she turned and walked out of the Kerby’s.

For a few seconds I just stood there,holding the money,wondering_4_to buy,and who to buy it for.

I thought of_5_I knew my family,my friends,my neighbours…I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decbar, a _6_with bad breath and messy hair.He sat right behind me_7_Mrs. Polack’s class.

Bobbie_8_went to any party during the winter.His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, _9_we all knew that he didn’t have a cough,and he didn’t have a coat.I decided to buy Bobbie a red warm coat_10_he would like.

That evening, grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and_11_“To Bobbie.From Father Christmas”on it.Grandma told me Father Christmas never let people know that he _12_ them.Then she drove me over to Bobbie’s home ,telling that I was helping Father Christmas_13_ the presents.

Grandma parked the car along the street.and we hid behind the trees near Bobbie’s home .Then Grandma said to me.“All right , Father Christmas get going.”

I took a deep breath,rushed to his front door,put the present down_14_the door,rang the doorbell and flew back to the safety of the _15_and Grandma.We waited breathlessly in the dark for the front door to open.Finally it did and there stood Bobbie.

That night ,I realized that Father Christmas was alive and well.and we were on his team.

1.A. him B. her C. them D.you

2.A.angry B.happy C. tired D. afraid

3.A.book B. coat C. present D.money

4.A.what B. when C. where D.how

5.A. everybody B. nobody C. somebody D.anybody

6.A.girl B. boy C. man D.woman

7.A. for B. on C. in D.with

8.A.always B. often C. sometimes D.never

9.A. so B. if C. but D.and

10.A. where B. that C. who D.why

11.A.read B. say C. write D.spell

12.A.helped B.belived C. taught D.made

13.A.give up B. give away C. put up D.put off

14.A.on B. behind C. outside D.over

15.A. shop B. cars C. door D.trees

A public primary school in the USA has stopped giving its students’ homework.

Principal Jane Hsu wrote a letter to parents last month, explaining that after more than a year

of analyzing (分析) studies, the school had decided that students’ after-school time would be better spent on activities like reading at their own pace (步伐) and playing instead of working on homework.

Hsu’s letter says that many studies show that there is no connection between homework and academic (学业的) success. Some other studies also show that the connection between homework and success is dubious at the primary school level.

Harris Cooper, a social psychologist who researches education, found that doing homework makes students perform better in school as they grew older. In later grades, students who did homework performed increasingly better than students who did not. In 2006, Cooper published a study that analyzed 15 years’ worth of data on the influence of homework. He found that homework had a good influence on students as they aged.

Some parents are not happy with the decision to give up homework. “I think they should have homework. I want my daughter to have fun, but I also want her to be working towards a goal,” Daniel Tasman, the father of a second-grader at the school, said to the reporter.

“Students have to do homework in order to gain. Students have to do homework because they may not be able to understand everything in school,” Sharon Blake, a student’s grandmother told ABC news.

1.Jane Hsu wrote a letter to parents to explain .

A. how students should read at their own pace

B. why the school gave up homework recently

C. what activities students could take at home

D. how important the homework is for students

2.The word “dubious” in Paragraph 3 probably means “not ”.

A. real B. public C. clear D. special

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Cooper found homework had a bad effect on students as they aged.

B. Some parents are worried about their children if there is no homework.

C. Some students are not happy with the decision to give up school homework.

D. Daniel Tasman wanted his daughter to have fun instead of working to a goal.

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